All I Ask of You
by DemonsInsideMe
Summary: Riley's brother is in the hospital, her best friend is in love with her and she's got a drinking problem because of the stress. Basically angst, some romantic themes. Rated M to be sure.
1. Chapter 1

**All I Ask Of You**

**By**

**DemonsInsideMe  
**

Chapter One

Riley Dean's eyes were enigmatic as she gazed out the eighth-floor hospital window, intent on the rush of driving snow that obscured her view of the city below.

The conversation going on behind her meant nothing. She was lost in the turbulent sea of her thoughts, caring little about what transpired between her mother and Dr. Lambert.

She heard fragments and small phrases, meaning nothing, knowing nothing, saying nothing. The things important to her before--school , friends, work-- paled in comparison to this. What could be as pertinent as what had unfolded before her eyes earlier that day, indeed, only moments ago? Nothing was as life-changing as this.

*-*-*-*-*

_"Jesse!" The plate Riley was drying fell noisily to the counter as she herself knelt at her brother's side, shaking his slim shoulders. When he would not respond, she grabbed the phone from the counter, tried to dial her mother's cell, slipped, and tried again. This time she was successful, and as the phone rang endlessly, she checked Jesse's wrists for a pulse, finding it very faint._

_She hung up after leaving a panicked message on her mother's phone, swiftly dialing 9-1-1. Within minutes, an ambulance arrived at her door, and paramedics were attending to her brother. She leaned against the refrigerator, breathing deeply, praying he would be alright._

*-*-*-*-*

Her jaw clenched in sudden resolve, and she left the hospital room, with a stunned mother and a puzzled Dr. Lambert in her wake.

She hadn't known, couldn't have, since she paid little attention to her family in general, much less her brother. Now she wished she had.

He was so young, so vulnerable. Why did he have to be sick? Why had God chosen _him, _her only brother, to have this disease?

"God," Riley sank into the driver's seat of her car, placing her head in her hands. "_Why?"_

She drove swiftly onto the freeway, the road signs barely registering in her scrambled mind. Eventually, she exited into a residential area, pulling up outside of the townhouse owned by her best friend, Tyler Connelly.

Knocking sharply on his door, she stamped her feet, standing in the bitter winter wind on his front porch.

"Rei?" Tyler leaned groggily on the door frame, peering at her in a way that would have been most humorous had the situation been different.

"My brother's in the hospital and he might die," Riley blurted.

Tyler's eyes snapped open.

*-*-*-*-*

"Wow," was all Tyler could say, after Riley had reiterated everything she had learned. Her brother had a life-threatening disease, and she hadn't even known!

"No one knew. He hadn't said anything, not even to Mom. Lord knows why," Riley threw her hands in the air, pacing Tyler's living room anxiously.

"Here, have some comfort food," Tyler tossed her a pint of ice cream and a spoon, which she caught deftly.

"Thanks," she replied.

Tyler sat on the arm of the couch, watching Riley eat the ice cream, and said thoughtfully, "It's not your fault, you know."

"No one said it was," Riley snapped angrily.

"Rei, I'm your best friend; have been since we were kids. I can tell you blame yourself."

Riley sighed, closing her eyes in defeat. It was true. She blamed herself for Jesse's sickness, for not being there when he needed her. For not being a better sister. Tyler stood and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, rubbing her back as her tears soaked the front of his shirt.

Tyler finally coerced her into watching _Pretty Woman_. By the end of the movie, the ice cream was gone, Tyler was trying not to cry during the scene where Edward arrives at Vivian's apartment to whisk her away in a black stretch limo, and Riley was out cold, wrapped safely in Tyler's arms on the over-stuffed couch.

*-*-*-*-*


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Riley awoke curled in a cocoon of blankets on the couch. Blinking sleepily, she sat up to find Tyler smirking at her from the kitchen.

"What?" she inquired, standing and taking the bowl he held out to her.

"You talked in your sleep again," his smile widened, and he produced a recording device.

"You evil, evil man," she narrowed her eyes as he pressed play.

_"Ty? Where are you?" _Riley's voice emanated from the recorder.

"_I'm here," _Tyler's voice was heard as well, but not nearly as groggy as her own.

"You were awake??" Riley stared at him in astonishment.

"Of course," the smile on his face grew even wider, if that was possible.

_"I love you." _

Riley stood staring at the device for a long moment, then, finally, she raised her hand and slapped Tyler across the face.

"So it's true," Tyler mused, rubbing his cheek.

"It is a complete lie," Riley was infuriated. How _dare_ he catch her unawares, and in her sleep, no less!

"I thought so," he resumed washing the breakfast dishes, humming to himself.

"Although I would relish another opportunity to slap you, and I will thoroughly enjoy exacting my revenge," she muttered, turning away from him to hide her smile.

Just then, her cell phone rang loudly, and she snatched it up from the counter.

"Hello?" she pressed it to her ear. There was a moment's silence as the person on the other end spoke, and then Tyler looked up at the sound of the bowl crashing to the floor.

"Ty, I have to go. Jesse needs me!" Then she was gone, rushing out the door, feet shoved haphazardly into worn tennis shoes and still trying to get her arms into her parka.

"Okay, see you later, then," Tyler said to the empty foyer, as Riley's car roared to life outside. The pieces of the porcelain bowl lay unnoticed on the floor.

*-*-*-*-*

"Riley?" Jesse tried to raise his head off the pillows when she came into the room.

"Hey, kiddo," Riley murmured, seating herself next to his bed.

"What…what happened?" his brow knit in confusion.

Riley's heart sank. Of course he wouldn't remember.

"You passed out on the kitchen floor…I called mom, and then 9-1-1. You've been here almost three days," She grasped his hand, noting its extreme warmth.

"And…what did the…doctor say?" he winced as pain shot up his right side.

"He…well, you don't need to worry about that," Riley brushed his black bangs out of his eyes. Remembering that they had once been so alike, she sighed. They had both had sandy blond hair in their youth.

"I'm going to die, right?" Jesse asked quietly.

There was a long pause as Riley considered these words. "Yes."

Jesse nodded, closing his deep brown eyes. He was taking the news better than she had.

*-*-*-*-*

_"Mrs. Dean, your son has an advanced form of leukemia which we cannot treat without serious risk to his health." Dr. Lambert, who looked like he'd stepped from the cover of GQ magazine, conversed in low tones with Riley's mother, while Riley herself looked on with bated breath._

_"What exactly are those risks?" Riley's mother had always had a very sensible head on her shoulders, and didn't usually overreact, unless it happened to be about Riley's love life._

_Dr. Lambert went on to explain the pros and cons of performing an emergency surgery on Jesse. As he continued, it seemed to Riley that there were a substantial amount of cons, and very few reasons to go ahead with it._

_"So you're saying that, whether or not we choose to do the surgery, my brother will die?" Riley asked bluntly, crossing her arms and glaring up at Dr. Lambert._

_"Not necessarily," he looked extremely uncomfortable; as well he should under the circumstances._

_"Your brother has a better chance of surviving if we go through with the surgery," Dr. Lambert continued, rubbing the back of his neck nervously._

_"Then why do you look so damn anxious?" Riley inquired angrily._

_"Riley!" Mrs. Dean stared incredulously at her daughter._

_"What, I'm just being honest," Riley looked at her mother with the same amount of emotion she would show to a rock._

_"That was unnecessary," her mother looked apologetically at Dr. Lambert._

_"It's quite understandable. She's just learned that her brother's life is at risk, and is probably still in shock. People say many things they don't mean when a loved one is involved," he smiled condescendingly, blue eyes twinkling, and Riley wanted nothing more than to slap that smirk from his GQ-perfect face._

_"Don't patronize me. I am _not_ in shock and I know _damn_ well what I am saying!" she turned on her heel and stormed from the hospital room, angrily slamming the elevator button halfway to Peru._

*-*-*-*-*

"You know…I love you…right, Rei?" Jesse's hand clenched around hers as another spike of pain went through his body, bringing her back to the present.

"Yeah. I love you too, Jesse," tears pricked the corners of Riley's eyes, and she blinked them back, not wanting her brother to see her cry. He was only sixteen, damn it, why did he have to die?

"It's…okay, Rei, you can cry," Riley looked up at him, and the tender concern in his eyes was enough to let the tears flow.

"I don't want to lose you, Jesse…You're all I have," The tears flowed silently down Riley's face, and she didn't care. She let down her guard for him, and allowed her brother to see into her private world. They talked for some time, but soon Jesse's eyelids began to droop, despite his efforts to stay alert. She allowed him to fall asleep, then kissed his forehead tenderly and quietly left the room.

"How is he?" Mrs. Dean asked as they exited the hospital together. She and Riley had forgiven each other on the premise that Jesse was more important than either of them.

"He's sleeping now, but we talked for a while. He'd never admit it, but he's in severe pain. I'm scared for him, Mom," Riley slid into the driver's seat of her Jetta as her mom took the passenger side.

"I am too, Riley. I am too."

*-*-*-*-*

Riley stumbled out of her car and onto the sidewalk, barely avoiding a collision with a large tree. Resting her back against the rough bark, she breathed deeply the cold winter air, rubbing shaking hands across her damp face.

"Shit, Riley," Tyler supported his trembling friend, guiding her into his house and closing the door.

"I…I'm no' drunk," her words were slurred together, making it perfectly clear who was and who wasn't drunk.

"Sure you aren't," Tyler picked her up easily and set her on the couch, going to the kitchen for an ice pack and a glass of water.

"'S the trut'," Riley fell onto her side, giggling madly.

"Rei, you don't even know what the truth is right now," he laid her on her back, pressing the ice pack to her forehead and making her sip the ice water.

"I-I do….too."

Tyler shook his head and pulled an ottoman to her side. Judging by the glazed look in her eyes, she'd been drinking for quite some time, probably since she left the hospital that evening.

"Tyler, d'you think Jesse'll be a'right?" Riley stared up at the ceiling, all humor gone from her gray eyes.

"I'm more concerned with your blood-alcohol level right now," Tyler purposefully avoided the question, not wanting her to become upset.

"Dammit, Ty, I cannae jus' sit 'ere, wond'rin' if he'll die tonight," If it weren't for the lack of humor in this situation, Tyler would have laughed at her accent. She always reverted to her natural Scottish accent when she was really drunk; which, in this case, was not good. She shouldn't even have been out alone, much less at a bar, drowning her sorrows in a bottle of cheap gin.

"Shh, Rei. You need to rest now. We'll talk in the morning," Tyler kissed her hand, a gesture that meant nothing more than 'I love you as a friend'.

"Aye, an' you need a good swift kick in the arse, laddie," she grinned, and Tyler was about to respond when a loud snore emanated from her open mouth.

"Sweet dreams…Princess," he hit the lights, falling into bed. His last thought before drifting off was that he forgot to tell her Dr. Lambert had called.

*-*-*-*-*


End file.
